Some Vistana residents settled, some still moving in

Saturday around lunchtime, I wandered over to the Vistana to “help a friend move.” I was really there to see the inside of the 14-story apartment building. Although, I did help set up the bed.

People started moving in March 21. Developer Ed Cross said in an e-mail that 96 of the 247 units had been leased. As of yesterday morning, 23 of the apartments had been moved into.

Someone asked on this blog  Where are these people moving from?  so I asked Cross. He said 86 percent of the tenants are new to downtown  either from the suburbs or new to San Antonio. He said 56 percent of tenants work in the suburbs.

“That is an amazing number and confirmation that people believe we have a unique downtown and one that is fun to live in,” Cross said.

I walked around the building and found construction workers putting the finishing touches on the building’s exterior. As previously reported here, they received their occupancy permit a week ago, so it’s not like the workers were doing anything major.

I met my friends Monica and Michael, both of whom are renting studios, in the leasing office. Monica was getting her paperwork squared away with Devin, one of the leasing beauties, while Michael had moved in more than a week ago. The office had that new building glow, everything looking immaculate and smelled fresh. There were chocolate chip cookies to celebrate the occasion. I had one.

Once the I’s were dotted, we took a brief tour. I expected the lobby to be bigger, more open. It was narrow, as were the doors that grant access to the elevator. You need a fob to get through those doors. Before the doors, to the left are the offices. That’s about all the space on the first floor devoted to the apartment building. The rest is retail space, which Cross said  with the exception of Sterling Bank  has yet to be filled.

The mail room includes a rent deposit box.

Before seeing the apartment, Monica had to coordinate with the movers. All of her stuff was in one of the Vistana’s storage units. As they were securing the occupancy permit, the Vistana put up residents in the Holiday Inn Express a few blocks away. As Michael pointed out, the movers, paid for by the Vistana, hustled their pants off.

Don’t say “redrum.”

We rode up the super-smooth elevator to the 10th floor and I was immediately blown away by how long and far the hallway went. When you take up a city block, the hallway’s gonna look like something out of “The Shining,” minus the creepy kid hallucinations.

Once she opened the three-lock door, we saw the inside. First thing I thought: small. Second thing: new. I immediately started to compare her studio with mine at the Brady in my mind’s eye, which had a cataract because of drinking the night before, so I may have been a little off.

The living space was smaller than mine. But their kitchen and bathroom blew mine away. It wasn’t even close. The Vistana’s studio kitchen had plenty of counter space. While the number of drawers were limited, at least it came with a pantry.

The bathroom was spacious, leaving plenty of room for a little towel stand, or something. It included a hamper area and its own washer and dryer, which only the studio apartments had.

Back to that living area. . . what an amazing view. From the 10th floor, you can see into Milam Park. You get a nice panoramic view of the west edge of downtown, from Market Square to the park to the children’s hospital. Interstate 35 streaks above, while the UTSA Downtown Campus and Bexar County Detention Center start to blend into the West Side.

Monica said she was paying $690 for her 495 square-foot studio apartment.

Exposed ducts and pipes give the Vistana a very hip, urban feel.

The movers brought her stuff in, and then we chilled and talked.

Monica and Michael (who lives on the seventh floor) said the overall service had been “very good.” I asked how noise-proof the apartments were, and Michael, who had at that point spent some nights there, said it was quiet.

Michael had two complaints: the sun and the water pressure of the shower head. Each apartment’s windows are tinted, and each comes with sun screens, but he say the sun cuts right through all of that, creating a wakeup call from hell. And the shower head is basically like a water faucet. Although Monica’s shower head had some good force. But all of that is fixable.

Each new resident received a goodie bag, which included two $5 gift certificates to Goodwill (across the street), a menu to Good Bites (across the street) and other knick knacks.

From Monica’s, we ventured over to their friend Kristopher’s to see the one-bedroom. It was nice. There was plenty of space. Maybe it was the furniture arrangement, but the living room seemed huge. His apartment faced east, so he had the quintessential view of downtown, complete with a Tower Life Building. Kristopher, who lives with a roommate, said he was paying $1,030 for the one-bedroom.

He also had a view of the amenity deck, which is still being worked on. Cross said the deck, which includes a pool, workout room and party room, should be open April 10.

At the end, I asked them the most important question of all: Is the Vistana haunted? They said they heard footsteps. And that their friend David is doing some intense research on the history of the property.